Queen, Sarah Brightman, and Yoshiki? This grouping is truly a dream come true. If you don’t know, Queen is a British rock band created in the 1970s. Members Roger Taylor and Brian May will be attending an event hosted by NHK, known as the Red And White event. Sarah Brightman, a British singer, and dancer who got her start with a dance troupe called Hot Gossip will once again dazzle the stage alongside Yoshiki. Finally, if you’re a tried and true reader, then you know we love Yoshiki– a Japanese rock icon heralding from the visual kei rock band X Japan. He is beyond talent and an exquisite taste. Combine the four, and you get a New Year’s Eve to remember. Broadcasted by the NHK, the annual music broadcast, Kohaku Uta Gassen will host a performance of a lifetime.
“Red & White is such an extraordinary event, and I feel very honored to have been asked to join this collaborative effort with so many other talented artists.”
Sarah Brightman
Kohaku Uta Gassen
Also known as NHK Red and White Song Battle, this is an annual event broadcasted from Japan. Beginning first as a radio-only broadcast in 1951, it transitioned to TV in 1953 with the running theme of red vs. white or female vs. male. In the end, audiences and judges will choose which team performed better. Set for December 31st, 2020, the event will last 4 hours, starting at 7:30 PM and end just before midnight at 11:45 PM. The white team is hosted this year by Yo Oizumi, and the red team will be hosted by Fumi Nikaido. So far, the score is 39-31, with the white team leading the wins. This year marks YOSHIKI’s sixth performance and eleventh appearance. That includes eight performances with X JAPAN and three consecutive performances as a solo artist.
‘Endless Rain’
“This is such a beautiful project. I’m proud and honoured to be a part of it. Respect to Yoshiki! And wishing you all a great New Year.”
Bri X
Queen and Sarah Brightman will be performing the song ‘Endless Rain’ with Yoshiki, which was written by non-other than Yoshiki. The song was originally released as a single from Yoshiki’s band Japan X on December 1st, 1989. This was the band and Yoshiki’s first ballad to be written. You can listen to the original below and get hyped for the wonderful collaboration between Yoshiki, Bri X, Roger Taylor, and Sarah Brightman. It is sure to be spine-tingling and a perfect way to end 2020.
“I am very honored and grateful to be performing “Endless Rain” at Kohaku again this year. I wish I could go to Japan but with the global pandemic, I have remained in Los Angeles since February. Therefore, I will perform remotely this year. I feel honored and grateful to be performing with QUEEN and Sarah Brightman and all those Japanese superstars. I hope that through the music, we can give everyone courage. Please look forward to the performance.”
YOSHIKI
Are you planning to ring in the new year with Yoshiki, Sarah Brightman, and Queen? Let us know in the comments down below, on Twitter @TheHoneyPOP, on Facebook, or Instagram!
Need some Japanese music in your life? Maybe a quiz to take?
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT YOSHIKI:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT QUEEN:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WEBSITE
LEARN MORE ABOUT SARAH BRIGHTMAN:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE | WEBSITE
